MSI Press Blog

   Continuing in the series of Sula (parish cat) Easter posts and especially on Caturday, here is another excerpt from Sula's Easter book; it comes from the section on the Easter vigil: Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my mission.     The Mass The Easter Vigil Mass is unique. It is not like any other Mass during the year. The Vigil Mass is also complex—and rich. It goes from dark to light, from people who cannot see each other to people welcoming new members into the body of Christ. The Mass has four elements. These are (1) the Service of Light, (2) the Liturgy of the Word, (3) Baptism, and (4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Service of Light starts outside, around

  (drawing by Uliana Yanovich) What is Easter Vigil? A vigil is a period of waiting. Easter Vigil is considered the greatest of all vigils and reflects the waiting that the disciples and especially the women who followed Jesus did after Joseph of Arimathea, having gotten permission from Pontius Pilate, laid Jesus in the tomb. They waited a very long time: three days. With Easter Vigil, the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday Vigil is brought to a close. The waiting will end on Easter morning with the Resurrection. That will be joyful. For now, though, we all wait. In sadness. In the dark. photo by Stacey Gentry Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my m

We celebrate Easter by offering two previous posts about Easter: https://msipressblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Easter And here is some more information about those books and their authors -- Bennett Easterling has written three terrific spiritual books; follow the book links for more information about each book. Jesus Is Still Passing By Jesus Is Still Passing By: Study Guide Edition (by popular demand when study groups discovered the original book) Of God, Rattlesnakes, and Okra: A Preacher's Boy Tells His Growing-Up Story (a delightful, funny, warm-hearted memoir -- and award-winning) Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission has written six books, one of which is focused on Easter. Easter at the Mission: A Cat's Observation of the Paschal Mystery  Sula received great reviews on her Easter book. Read them on Goodreads , MidWest Book Review and Readers Favorite . Learn more about her othe

  Passover and Easter   Arthur Yavelberg   author of the award-winning A Theology for the Rest of Us Best Indie Book Award Literary Titan Silver Award   People sometimes wonder about why the Jewish holiday of Passover often overlaps with the Christian celebration of Easter. There are many explanations for this—such as both are carryovers from pagan fertility rites having to do with the “rebirth” in spring. (Hence the use of “eggs” on the Passover seder plate and Easter egg hunts.) However, there are deeper possibilities.   Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Biblical Israelites from Egypt. Since God (not Moses) redeemed these slaves from bondage, it is often called a “Festival of Freedom.” While that is true, it overlooks that this freedom is essentially temporary. Once the Israelites escape and the Egyptian army is drowned in the Red Sea, they are brought to Mt. Sinai where they are given God’s Commandments—the well known Ten Commandments and, according to the Orthodox

Are you interested in moving beyond the traditional egg hunt and chocolate bunnies, finding ways to engage the children of your family in the Easter story? We’ve discovered a delightful game that both adults and kids enjoy. It’s as simple as finding some colored plastic Easter eggs—the kind that open up--and stuffing them with questions or clues surrounding the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection story. Find an Easter basket, fill it with fake grass and place the eggs inside the basket.   When everyone is seated for dinner, someone passes the basket around the table. Each person takes an egg, then take turns opening their egg and reading the scripture verse or showing the clue and telling what it has to do with Easter.\ You can be quite imaginative in stuffing the eggs, using small nails, bits of fabric, thorns, spices and other items as well as scripture verses. If the one opening the egg cannot explain how it relates to Easter, the other children are invited to answ

  Well, this may be the shortest book back story yet. Easter at the Mission came about at Easter time after several other Sula (parish cat). Essentially, it was Easter. Sula had already written a popular book, Christmas at the Mission . Readers reported learning things about Christmas they had not known, and the hope was, with the help of the deacon, to do the same with he Easter book -- that hope seemed to have been realized even more in the Easter book than the Christmas book. For more posts about Sula and her award-winning books, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% disc

  We recommend Easter for the Mission even for those who think they know all there is to know about Lent and Easter.  Sula, the now-famous church cat, tackles a mysterious topic for her fifth book: What is Easter, what is its meaning, what are the beliefs behind Catholic behaviors associated with the Lenten season and Easter, why is it called the Paschal mystery? Sula answers these questions with history, dogma, and humor. And, of course, with pictures, lots and lots of people-cat pictures. The sections of the book--Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and East Morning--are beautifully illustrated with drawings by Uliana Yanovich. For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE . For more posts on Lent, click HERE . For more Caturday posts, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC Newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a pr

  Yes, we have quite a collection of short videos of Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, thanks to Stacey Gentry, Sula's official photographer. For some Caturday/Saturday fun, just click HERE and select the videos you like -- or all of them! For more posts about Sula, her life well lived, and her books, click HERE , including Surviving Cancer, Healing People , which won a Literary Titan gold medal. And, with Easter coming up, don't forget about Sula's Easter book! Sula, the now-famous church cat, tackles a mysterious topic for her fifth book: What is Easter, what is its meaning, what are the beliefs behind Catholic behaviors associated with the Lenten season and Easter, why is it called the Paschal mystery? Sula answers these questions with history, dogma, humor, and charm. And, of course, with pictures, lots and lots of people-cat pictures. The sections of the book--Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and East Mornin

  Happy Easter to all! Here are some readings related to Easter from a couple of our books: From Blest Atheist: The Church in Siberia From Easter at the Mission : Easter Vigil and Palm Sunday

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with Easter at the Mission by Sula. Sula, the now-famous church cat, tackles a mysterious topic for her fifth book: What is Easter, what is its meaning, what are the beliefs behind Catholic behaviors associated with the Lenten season and Easter, why is it called the Paschal mystery? Sula answers these questions with history, dogma, and humor. And, of course, with pictures, lots and lots of people-cat pictures. The sections of the book--Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and East Morning--are beautifully illustrated with drawings by Uliana Yanovich. For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press newsletter.  Follow MSI Press on Twitter , Face Book , and Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for  reviewing  a current or

  Sula, parish cat at Old Mission, wrote a helpful book,  Easter at the Mission , with information not generally shared in books that more superficially discuss the events around Easter, that explains Catholic dogma (much would also relate to Protestant denominations).  Sula's book is informative yet delightfully illustrated and easy to understand. It can be purchased on the spot at Old Mission gift shop or at St. Francis Retreat Center, both in San Juan Bautista. Or, it can be  purchased online . Want a discount? Order from  MSI Press webstore at half price sale ; use code FF25, and get another 25% off. Cannot beat that price! But it won't last beyond Easter, so please do hurry if you want the book. Here is an excerpt about from the section on Good Friday: Veneration of the Cross On Good Friday, the parishioners venerate the cross. The veneration begins with the cross being brought down the aisle. When it reaches the altar, the cross is laid down, and the priest lies prostrate